GRAVIOLA is a name that has been widely discussed in almost all internet forums, blogs, web sites etc. related to medical treatment, especially in the field of Oncology. There are hundreds of thousands of testimonials and claims authenticating the fact that GRAVIOLA is a sure panacea for the cancer disease which is one of the most dreaded ills in the modern history of mankind. This South American tree and its fruit are believed to have been used very successfully in killing cancer cells across the entire globe. The botanical classification of the tree is as follows:
It belongs to the family of Annonaceae with the Genus of Annona under the Species of Muricata, known also under the Synonyms of Annona Macrocarpa,Guanabanus Muricatus and the Common names of Graviola, Soursop, Brazilian paw paw etc. and the parts believed to be used are its leaves, fruit, seeds, bark and roots. Some of the most active elements scientifically researched, testified and confirmed with regard to Graviola are a group of Annonaceous Acetogenins only to be found in the family of Annonaceae and to this great family does our graviola belongs.
A brief report on the herbal properties and actions of the Graviola will definitely help those who are concerned about the cancer disease and long awaiting a practical cure for the same.
The main actions of the medicine prepared from graviola are killing the cancer cells, the bacteria, parasites and viruses, slowing down the tumor growth, relieving depression, reducing spasms, blood pressure and fever, stimulating digestion and dilating blood vessels.
The standard dosage of the medicine is prescribed as infusion of 1 cup 3 times daily, tincture of 2-4 ml. 3 times daily and capsules of 2 g 3 times daily.
Graviola is a small tree upright and evergreen, growing 5-6 m high with large, glossy, dark green leaves. Its fruit with around 20 cm in diameter is generally edible and yellow green in colour with white flesh inside. The tree is native to most of the warmest tropical regions in South and North America including the Amazon. The fruit is sold in the local markets with the name as guanábanain Spanish-speaking countries and graviola in Brazil.
Graviola has both tribal and herbal medicine uses.
The tree with its bark, leaves, roots, fruit and fruit seeds are used in natural medicine and each of these parts has certain special properties and uses such as killer of worms and parasites, fever coolant, enhancer of mother’s milk after childbirth, astringent for diarrhea and dysentery, remover of head lice, sedative, antispasmodic, hypotensive etc. In herbal medicine also this tree is reported to have been widely used in certain parts of the globe. The graviola leaf tea is very famous in some regions of the Amazon where it is used for a lot of diseases such as rheumatism, asthma, arthritis etc.
The Chemical Properties of the Graviola
Since almost the year 1940 or so, the scientific world has been very seriously researching on the various uses of this Graviola, with the result that many active chemical compounds have been found in it, the most spectacular among them being Annonaceous Acetogenins produced in the stem, bark, fruit and fruit seeds of this tree. These chemical components have some very great properties namely the antitumorous characteristics which can be substantially utilized for the production of a very significant cancer cure. One very spectacular achievement in this direction was that the cure so produced could undoubtedly be relied upon, because of its special nature of keeping the healthy cells intact while performing its activation. This finding was indeed a serendipitous move in their research. Even at a very low dosage the medicine could work out miraculous achievement by creating selective toxicity to the cancer cells, that is the healthy cells in the adjoining areas of the body of the patient would not be affected at all, with the medication of this cure, a characteristic so widely acclaimed in the scientific and medical world at a time when a cure, if at all there was one, could hardly be completely relied upon simply because of the very nature of its non-selective quality. Graviola has come to the aid of the entire humanity in that case.
What accounts for this particular quality of graviola?
Acetogenin, the chemical component extracted from the graviola treeis a very successful enzyme inhibitor, decreasing the enzyme activity in the membranes of the cancerous cells, while remaining passive in the case of the healthy cells. Purdue University, Indiana, has progressed so much more in their research on the tree, the chemical component and its quality.